Your Dues Do Good Work
By Section Pro Bono Chair
In normal times, our section dues are carefully budgeted for use throughout the year for substantive reasons related to the work of the Section, communicating that work to you and getting you involved, as well as face-to-face networking and other personal interaction. This spring, most of the activities for which the Section budget allocated funds have been canceled or moved online due to the COVID-19 emergency. Under NCBA rules, there are, of course, restrictions on how and when Section funds can be expended and what happens if they are not expended by the end of the NCBA fiscal year.
Therefore, the Administrative Law Section is pleased to report that it will be donating Section funds to Feeding the Carolinas Food Bank, Legal Aid of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Bar Foundation. Feeding the Carolinas’ network of food banks remains dedicated to address our state’s food instability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Legal Aid of North Carolina’s mission to deliver free legal services to low-income individuals endures among the pandemic, as crisis-related legal issues (e.g., consumer, domestic, employment) continue to develop. Along those lines, the Section has set aside funds to sponsor up to two public interest attorneys’ purchases of the forthcoming On-Demand CLE “Shine the Light.” Finally, the Section Council decided to donate its remaining funds to the North Carolina Bar Foundation Annual Fund to support its many efforts that benefit lawyers and the community at large. Amid the economic and social instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Section is grateful for the opportunity to support these vital organizations whose missions remain as important as ever in serving our communities.